ohliz

Do you really think everyone knows that? I don't know - some people seem to plan their vacations based exclusively on what they read online, in fora such as this one... <BR> <BR Liz

Janine

I just read about the homicide of a 13 year old in the St. Thomas Source which is online at http://www.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/ <BR> <BR>The article says this latest homicide <BR>"is the territory's 20th homicide of the year, the 11th on St. Thomas." <BR>I'm very surprised to learn that somewhere as small as the USVI has that high a homicide rate. <BR> <BR>

Ann

It just comes down to what you're comfortable with. I like to "get away from it all" and that old phrase probably the most accurate expression of what people seek. There are a lot of murders and crime where I live. I have to get accustomed to it here, but I DON'T have to put up with it on vacation, not if I can find a friendly place that has a reputation for low crime. <BR>Some people want different things. Me? I want a sense of security and (not to over-dramatize) don't want to be looking over my shoulder. In short, I want to get away from it all. <BR>We each have to work out that equation for ourself. To each his/her own! I'm okay with those who are okay with locations such as the USVI that, true or not, have developed a certain reputation. I'll take the BVI.

Janine

Below is the text of the report
"13-YEAR-OLD BOY DIES OF GUNSHOT WOUND"
from www.onepaper.com/stthomasvi

I'm posting this in the interest of full disclosure. It seems to me that some people here want to sugarcoat or downplay crime in the Caribbean, so I'd like to balance that with the fact that there have now been 20 homicides so far this year in USVI, according to the St. Thomas Source:

"Nov. 5, 2001 ? A 13-year-old St. Thomas boy died Saturday in an apparent homicide. Deputy Police Chief Theodore Carty said that he died of what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the chest.
The body of Alphonso Blyden III was found on the floor at 2-43 St. Joseph and Rosendahl.
Carty said that the boy died at the scene at 9:15 p.m.
"He was visiting a friend," he said.
Carty said a witness at the scene who lived in the house said she found the boy lying on the floor after she heard a shot.
No one has been arrested in the case.
Alphonso is the territory's 20th homicide of the year, the 11th on St. Thomas.
Carty said he did not have an address for the youth and had no further information. He asked that anyone with information call the Police Department's Investigation Bureau at 715-5522."

Scott

So does that mean one should never visit great cities such as New York or LA?

Janine

I travel extensively, and Barbados is one of my favorites in the Caribbean. But I have to acknowledge that Frommers is accurate that crime has increased in Barbados greatly in recent years. I tell my friends that, not to scare them, but so they're better prepared. <BR> <BR>With NY and LA, you know what to expect, no one sugarcoats that info. But in the Caribbean, there's a tendency to downplay the crime as described in this article: <BR> <BR>http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...45699-2001Apr5 <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

ohliz

Good article. Some good points: <BR> <BR>. "Americans think they're coming to Paradise when they come to the Caribbean, and so tend to leave their common sense behind," said Mary Bartolucci, a resident in St. John and organizer of the "Stop the Violence" initiative in the U.S. Virgin Islands. But "we have drugs, muggings and all the other kinds of problems that communities in the States have." <BR> <BR>Good list of things not to do also. <BR> <BR Li

Phil

Correction: It turns out that the boy who was murdered on Saturday was 12 years old, not 13. The case remains unsolved.<BR><BR>Does anyone know if the case of the 19-year old American who was shot in the back in broad daylight in St. Thomas USVI was solved? Or is his killer also still on the loose?

tom

The Cayman islands have the highest standard of living in the caribbean. The average Caymanian earns apr. 25,000 a year which means that folks can afford to feed and clothe their kids and not resort to crime. There are plenty of other islands that do have a high crime rate and a thriving drug business.

aimerose

re phil on crime in st thomas or usvi. the place is worst than the mafia, crimes are left unsolved, nobody talks, if you open your mouth, you are dead meat as of yesterday. you live like a prisoner there, you are scared to drive after dark, if your car breaks down, even your cellular phone wont help, who would you call, all services are closed, you are scared to "brush" a local, even a child or any local, violent vengeance is their bible, the police sides with the locals. the govt does not care about unsolved crimes.

Scott

News - another breakin reported last week in a villa on St. John villas: <BR> <BR>www.usvi-on-line.com/usviforum.html<BR><BR>There's a thread on Security that tells how they were robbed while they slept: <BR><BR>http://216.205.120.178/cgi-bin/agnes.cgi?CaribbeanAgnes+CaribbeanAgnesHTMLArticle +6179<BR><BR>Although past breakins were mainly occuring in the day, last weeks breakin sounds like the robbers are "scoping" the villas at night. I would recommend keeping curtains closed at night so that they cannot peer in to see what valuables you may have, and follow the advice to locking bedroom doors while you sleep.

Donna

Here's a new article that doesn't try to downplay the burglary problem on St. John, which they describe as the island's "dirty little secret" <BR><BR>http://www.stjohntradewindsnews.com/2001/08/010813-2.html<BR><BR>

Ras

24th murder in USVI this year:<BR><BR>http://www.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=News%3ALocal&p=45521<BR><BR>

Karen

In my 25+ years of traveling to the USVI at least three or four times a winter, I did not experience the same that the "others" are reporting. Sure there is crime, no one denies it, and there are socio economic problems. But, afraid you might run into that anywhere in the Caribb basin or even Hawaii. Just use your head and common sense. There seems to be few places to escape from it nowadays unfortunately. For example, on the night of our honeymoon, my husband and I were strolling a moonlit beach in St. Thomas when we were suddenly surrounded by a group of machete-wielding natives and subsequently gang-raped. Instead of reporting the incident we just kept it in focus that one encounters islanders who might resent the typical tourist coming in and telling them how is and how it should be done and what is wrong, but the island is a garden of hopeful wonderful hard-working people who want you to love their home the same way they do! I think that the "uncomfortable" feeling comes from inflammatory posts and hearing these stories no matter where you travel and you are waiting for the other shoe to drop! But do educate yourself as to where to go and where NOT to go, what to do and what NOT to do. Just like any new location, be smart and look past a few disgruntled visitors and residents and you will have a lovely time!

mary

Karen: For all you've been through, I commend you for your postive outlook on St. Thomas. I don't think I would look at it the same way if that happened to us. But to not report it? They could have captured the culprits and put them jail instead of allowing it to potentially happen to someone else.

leilani

The only USVI that I have been to is St. Croix. It's okay (it's not pretty at all) and the water is not all that clear compared to Grand Cayman.

Karen

I wasn't even gonna read the thread 'cause knew where it was going and just knew that someone had too much time on their hands. Now, I know there are other "Karen's" on aol but would like to claify that since most of the post was lifted from another post of mine, that I didn't honeymoon on St. Thomas and have never heard that anyone would be so stupid as to be gang raped and not go to a hospital or file some sort of report! Guess the Holiday Spirit and kindness still has not touched the lives of some who post here! To bad that the evil doers aren't all tracked down!

Crybaby

The evil doer WAS tracked down - it is the Karen, aka KarenW, aka KarenW531, etc. It is sooo touching to hear her lecture about Holiday Spirit and kindness in light of her trademark mean-spirited style of criticism that fills the archives of this board and others. Poor Karen, let us shed a tear for her!

Doug

To the Karen who was gang raped, you left out the part about being held in your villa for days and "being repeatedly violated in every imaginal way" and--- "we took it in stride" That's the way you posted it on usvionline.com a while back and it was promptly deleted. I'm just trying to help you keep your storys straight. Hope this helps.

Ras

Talking about Holiday Spirit, seven dogs were poisoned in the USVI on Christmas eve:<BR><BR>http://www.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=News%3ALocal&p=46281<BR><BR>A 2 year old was beaten to death on Dec 22nd, which is presumably the 27th homicide in the USVI this year. That brings the murder rate up over 50% higher than last year. See the story here:<BR><BR>http://www.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=News%3ALocal&p=46259<BR><BR>The 26th murder of this year was a stabbing described here:<BR><BR>http://www.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=News%3ALocal&p=46104<BR><BR>